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The Pirates - originally known as the Liverpool Pirates - were founded in 1985 for inclusion in the 1986 N.S.W.G.F.L. season. They were founded by Dan Cole who guided the team through the tough early seasons until 1990.
Here is some trivia from the 1986 season -
The Pirates 1986 team was made up of 8 one-year veterans who left the Fairfield Argonauts, and 19 first-year rookies.
The first Pirates Offensive scheme run by Coach Cole was known as the Multi-Flex Power Veer, and consisted of a Veer Backfield, a Wide Receiver, a Tight End, and a Wing Back
The first victory for the fledgling Club was a 14-6 win over the Hills District Eagles, the game played at Castle Hill R.S.L. Club. The Quarterback in that game was Coach Cole who was filling in for injured QB, Garry Wilson.
The Pirates finished the 1986 Season with a 1 - 9 record.
The first Pirates Rushing Touchdown was scored by Running Back, Fabrizio Corona.
The first Pirates Touchdown Pass was caught by Wing Back, David Aguilera, on a pass thrown by Garry Wilson.
From the 1987 season -
The first Pirates Field Goal was kicked by Quarterback, Garry Wilson, in the first game of the 1987 season. The kick helped defeat the Fairfield Argonauts 9-7.
The first Interception returned for a Touchdown was a 70 yard return by Cornerback, Paul Hunter, against the Hills District Eagles...it was also the Pirates first Defensive TD.
The first Pirate Offensive Lineman to score a Touchdown was Branko Ignjatovic, who scored on a Tackle Eligible play against the Blacktown Vikings.
The Pirates finished the 1987 Season with a 5 - 5 record.
From the 1988 season -
The Pirates first Tied game was a 14-14 contest against the Northwestern Rebels.
Garry Wilson set a then Club Record for Points Scoring by rushing for 10 Touchdowns in 10 games. He also threw 11 TD passes, and had 886 yards on Punts.
Running Back, Terry Guider, became the first Pirate to rush for over 100 yards in a game, and the first Pirate to rush for more than 1000 yards in a single season (the only 1000 yard Rusher in the League that season.)
Terry Guider was also the first Pirate to rush for over 200 yards in a game. Late in the 1988 season (and on the morning after his Wedding!) Terry ran wild in a surprise upset win over the Sydney University Lions 48-6. That win helped put the Pirates into the Playoffs for the first time.
Lineman, David King, was named Defensive Lineman of the Year by the League.
Dan Cole was awarded Coach of the Year honours, and named as the Head Coach for the NSW State Team.
The Pirates had 11 Players selected to the NSW State team.
The Pirates finished the 1988 Season with a 5 - 6 - 1 record and were AAA West Champions.
From the 1989 season -
The 1989 season was the worst ever in terms of Pirate injuries. During the course of the season almost half of the registered players were sidelined with major injury problems. The worst injury was a hip dislocation suffered by Tight End, Mark King, in a game against the Hills District Eagles. Mark spent 5 weeks in traction after what appeared to be a routine catch and tackle.
Playing both ways was a fact of life for the 1989 Pirates. The team completed the second half of the season with only 14 players due to injuries.
In order to satisfy the League ruling regarding a minimum number of players for a game, Running Back, Andrew Marsh, suited up with his leg in a plaster cast just to get the head count over 15 so that an appeal to the Officials for special permission could be made to start each game.
The Officials were happy. To ensure that the Pirates had eleven men on the field they simply counted the 3 or 4 who were standing on the sideline!
Linebacker, Mick Schweitzer, was forced into duty as a Running Back in a 1989 game against the Bondi Raiders due to the Clubs mounting injury toll.
His efforts impressed his team-mates (and the Raiders) so much that he became the starting Fullback for the 1990 season where he rushed for just under 1000 yards in 9 games, including a record-setting 272 yards against the Sutherland Seahawks. |
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QB Garry Wilson in 1990 |
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Pirate Football Trivia |
